It's Always Been You
by silentfyre
Summary: Ever since they've been on Azura, Baird has been unusually nice to Sam. But why?
1. Chapter 1

**Yes I'm writing another Baird and Sam fic. I just can't help myself.**

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Azura – Six weeks after the end of the locust war.

The sun was just coming up when Sam woke up. The light was streaming through the gap in the curtains, hurting her eyes a bit. She was still getting used to the fact that there was no locust or lambent to get up and fight these days. It had only been six weeks, but they felt like the longest six weeks of her life. She felt a strange kind of peace. It was strange because she wasn't used to peace. _"So this is what it feels like"_ Sam looked at the clock. It was only 0500 hours but she didn't want to stay in and sleep today. Even if it was technically a day off. _"Never used to get those" _She thought. She already had plans for today anyway. It was a perfect day to try and fix her rat bike. She had crashed it a few days ago, nothing too serious, only a few cuts and bruises but the bike had gotten away from her and needed some serious attention. She sat up on the bed and rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. She looked around her room, still amazed at the luxury she was living in. Well, it seemed like luxury compared to what she was used to. Even though it had only been six weeks, everyone had pulled together and helped fix up the hotel into some rather nice living accommodation. Sam was lucky to get her own room. She probably would be sharing with Anya it wasn't for the fact that Anya was sharing a room with Marcus. _"Poor Marcus I hope he's doing ok" _she thought to herself. Sam got up and dressed and made her way down to the restaurant which had become a food hall. Even though it was early, they were already cooking breakfast. Even after the locust attack on Azura, there was still a surprising amount of food supplies left. Sam settled for some bacon and eggs. There was a few other people, mainly people who worked on the night patrol who's shifts were just finishing. Sam finished her bacon and eggs and made her way outside to start working on her bike. She made her way down to the beach, where her bike was stored in a makeshift shed. After unlocking the shed and looking at her bike, she remembered just what a mess it was in. She wheeled it out and spent about 5 minutes just looking at it. She was pretty good with stuff like this, but she could use a hand. Only trouble was, the one person that could probably help her, she had been trying to avoid. That person was Baird. Ever since they'd been here, Baird had been unusually nice to her. She couldn't really complain about it, it's just that she wasn't use to it. Baird had usually been a bit of an ass hole to her and she had always bitched back at him. But this was different. In fact, he had completely changed around her as soon as he found out about Dom's fate. She knew that it had hit him harder than he cared to admit. Something about Baird being nice to her made her feel uneasy. When he was being an ass, it was easy for her to dislike him. But the way he was acting now, she couldn't dislike him. Which made her feel . . . _"No, it's not like I like him or anything. He's just being nice to me because of Dom's death" _Just as she thought that, she saw a figure coming towards her. As he got closer, she realised that it was Baird. _"Oh great"_

He came up to her and seemed like a totally different person when he spoke to her.

"Hey Sam. What you up to"

"Just trying to fix my bike" Sam said, regretting that she had used the word, trying.

"Ah. Well I can help you with that"

"It's ok. I don't really need any help. But thanks"

"No really it's fine. I want to help. And you know how I love to fix stuff. Just let me get some tools and I'll be right back"

Sam gave in "Ok. If you insist I won't stop you"

"Be right back"

Sam watched him as he walked off. _"Well, it will be nice to have the company I guess" _She didn't do much when he was gone. She realised that she really did need his help and felt stupid for not asking for it in the first place. She looked out at the ocean for a bit. She tried not to give herself too much time to think these days, because all she could think of was all those that they had lost. And those thoughts always led her back to the same person. _"Well Dom, where ever you are, I hope you with your family and I hope your happy" _Sam missed Dom everyday and she knew she wasn't the only one. She thought about poor Marcus coping with the loss of Dom, and the loss of his Father. _"Well, at least you still have Anya" _She knew Anya was close to Dom as well hoped that she was ok. Sam knew that Baird missed Dom as well. He hadn't really talked about it yet. Marcus had told everyone that Dom had died a hero. He hadn't gone through all the details though. Sam's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Baird coming back up the beach with a large kit bag of tools in his hand. He put them down with a thud, almost as if he was emphasising how heavy they were.

"This should help" he said. "Now, lets get to work"

"_What's his angle. Why is so keen on helping me? Is it so he can hold it against me when he wants a favour. Or is he like me, keeping himself busy so he doesn't have to think about all the losses we've suffered"_

She decided to just be thankful and hope that he was just being nice for a change. _Baird, being nice? Well, I guess the war has changed us all"_

They spent a good few hours on the bike. Sam was impressed with Baird's skills, she'd never really given him enough credit in the past. Most of their conversation was about the bike, but Sam decided to be bold and ask Baird why he'd been so different around her lately.

"Baird?" She asked

"Yeah"

"I have a question. Don't take this the wrong way, because I do appreciate your help today but, why have you been so nice to me lately?"

Baird didn't know how to respond to that. He had been nicer to her lately. But he didn't expect her to ask him why. He didn't respond, he just shrugged, trying not to make eye contact.

"I mean, you were kind of an ass to me before. So, what's changed"

"Hey, you weren't exactly nice to me either" he responded defensively.

"Only cos I was retaliating" she said defending herself.

He didn't say anything. Neither did she for a while. They just carried on with what they were doing. Sam couldn't help but be reminded about the way Baird used to be around her. Always putting her down or finding something to argue about. And all those remarks he made about her and Dom. She still wanted to know why he had changed so much.

"It's because of Dom, isn't it" she finally said. "Why you've been so different"

Baird stopped what he was doing as soon as she said his name. He looked down for a while, as if he was thinking about saying something. Then he finally spoke.

"I used to be an ass hole to a lot of people Sam. I was even an ass hole to Dom at times. But since he . . . is not here any more . . ." he said as if he couldn't bring himself to use the word dead. "Since he's no longer with us, I regret all those times. It made me realise that the few people that I have left . . ." Baird was struggling to get his words out. "I realised life's to short for all that bullshit. I know what's really important now"

Sam was surprised that he was opening up to her this much. But Baird's words made perfect sense to her.

"I understand" Sam replied.

The two carried on working for a while. But something still bothered Sam. She had to ask.

"So, why have you been nicer to me than anyone? I mean, you used to give me a really hard time. Especially about Dom"

"Well, I'm hardly gonna do that now am I Sam. I mean not now he's . . ."

"It's ok Baird. You can say it. Now he's dead"

Baird still hadn't really come to terms with that. It hit him a lot harder than he thought it would. Not as bad a losing someone closer tom him, like Cole, but it still hurt like hell.

"Now he's . . dead. And out of everyone, I gave you the hardest time"

"Yeah. Why was that? And why all the remarks about me and Dom?"

"I dunno Sam. I guess I knew that they would get to you" _"What kind of a person am I. I made those remarks to get at Sam. I knew how complicated it was, especially after Dom lost his wife, and I used him to get to Sam" _he thought realising what an ass he'd been.

Sam didn't say anything. She just looked down at what she was doing, not really concentrating on it.

"I'm sorry Sam. I should never have said those things to get to you. For what it's worth, I think Dom would have been lucky to be with you. And all those things I said, were only said out of jealousy"

What Baird just said shocked Sam. _"Did I just hear right. He was, jealous? Jealous that I had feelings for Dom, rather than, him?!"_

"What?" was all Sam could manage to say.

"Forget it Sam. It doesn't matter now anyway. Just forget I said anything ok"

"How can I forget what you just said. You were. . . jealous?"

"No, not jealous just . . ."

"You said they were said out of jealousy. What did you mean"

He looked up, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones. There really was no point in denying this any longer.

"You're a smart girl Sam. You figure it out" he said softly.

The realisation hit her pretty quick. All she could manage to say was "Oh"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, even though it felt a lot longer, then Baird broke the gaze.

"I um better go" Baird said, gathering up his tools quickly. He picked up his bag to leave.

"Baird, wait don't . . . "

"Forget what I said Sam ok. Just forget it. It's probably for the best anyway"

And with that, he left. All Sam could do, was watch him leave, still trying to process what had just happened.

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**To be continued soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Sam stayed on the beach for a while after her conversation with Baird. She was more stunned than anything else. She was still trying to process what he had said to her. It was pretty obvious to Sam what he meant, but she thought that maybe she had it all wrong.

"_No. I haven't got it wrong. If Baird was jealous of my feelings for Dom, then that must mean he has some kind of feelings for me. That's the only explanation. Unless of course, Baird was in love with Dom" _Sam laughed to herself at that unlikely thought. She sat staring out at the ocean, trying to figure out what, if anything, she felt for Baird. She had to admit, that she had grown fond of this nicer version of Baird. She didn't know how long that would last though. Maybe after a few months he would be back to his usual sarcastic self. It wasn't like he was completely different though. He still had his sarcastic side, especially around people he didn't know well. But around the people closer to him, especially her, he was like a different person. A person that Sam was beginning to really care for, and she was just starting to realise just how much.

As Baird walked back to the hotel, he couldn't help think about what he'd said to Sam

"_Why did I have to open my stupid mouth. Maybe she won't figure it out. Who am I kidding of course she will. She's not stupid"_

He hoped that maybe he could talk to Sam, explain that it's not what she thinks. _"What does she think? I don't even know. Maybe I'll just avoid her until she forgets about it all. Or maybe I could just go back to the way I was and stop being nice to her altogether" _But Baird cared for Sam and didn't want to upset her or hurt her in anyway. He honestly didn't know what to do. As he approached the hotel he realised that he better get something to eat, even though he wasn't really that hungry. After dropping off the tools in his room that he was sharing with Cole, he made his way back down to the food hall to get some breakfast. He was hoping to be alone until he heard Cole's cheery voice call him over to the table where he was sitting with Carmine and Jace.

"_Can't a guy get 5 minutes peace around here"_

"Hey, was wondering where you got to. Didn't see you this morning" Cole said.

"I um had some work to do" He replied being unspecific.

"As early as that Baird?"

"Yes. As early as that" he replied in a tone that said, get off my back.

Cole noticed his mood was a bit off, but decided not to say anything. He just continued his conversation with Jace and Carmine. Baird completely zoned out, he had no idea what they were talking about. All he could think about was the look on Sam's face when he told her . . _"oh God, why did I tell her that. Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut"_

. . . "isn't that right Baird" Jace said.

"Mmm, what did you say"

"What's with you today Baird. It's like your in another world or something" Carmine said.

"Just thinking that's all"

"Oh. About what. Or about who" Cole said jokingly

Baird suddenly panicked and could almost feel him self going red.

"What? No one, I'm not thinking about anyone!" he said defensively.

"Woah baby, I'm only playin' with ya" replayed Cole.

"Good"

"Wow Baird, you sure got defensive then. Maybe you were thinking about someone" Jace said.

"Yeah, what's his name?" Carmine said with a grin.

"A gay joke, really?"

"Cmon Baird, tell us. Who you got the hots for?" Jace asked.

"No one ok. Absolutely no one!"

"Oh, I bet it's Sam" Jace said to Carmine, almost acting as if Baird wasn't there.

Baird was sure he felt himself go red this time, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh my God it is, look he's going red" Carmine said.

"That's because I'm angry because you lot are pissing me off!" he said as he got up. "I'm outta here, I don't need this" He said as he stormed off. Cole followed him leaving Jace and Carmine feeling a bit bewildered at his outburst.

"Hey" Cole said trying to catch up with Baird

"Just leave me alone ok"

"Hey I wasn't the one making fun ok, it was them"

Baird realised that. But he still wanted to be left alone.

"I know it wasn't you. I just, wanna be alone. Ok?"

Cole knew when to back off.

"Ok. But I'm around if you need me ok?"

"Sure" he replied as he walked off.

Cole sat back down with the guys trying to work out what had gotten into him. Unless they had hit a nerve when they mentioned Sam. Maybe Baird was thinking about her after all.

Anya slowly woke up, almost forgetting where she was for a moment. She was still getting used to life on Azura, just like everyone else. She slowly opened her eyes to the morning light, and let out a big yawn. She looked at the clock. 0900. _"Can't believe I slept in so late" _she thought as she looked over to see that Marcus wasn't there. _"He must have let me sleep. Maybe he thinks I need it" _She was startled when she heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it" she asked sleepily.

"It's me, Sam"

Since the war had been over, her and Sam had become pretty close friends. They were always there for one another if the other one needed to talk.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course, just coming" Anya said. She was still in her sleepwear but she didn't mind her friend seeing her like that. She opened the door to let Sam in.

"I really need to talk to you"

"Ok. Take a seat" Anya said gesturing to the empty chair next to the bed.

Sam sat down and Anya sat on the bed.

"Oh, Anya, I didn't wake you did I"

"No. Just woke up before you knocked"

"Ok. Good"

"So, what did you want to talk about"

"Ok. I'm just going to say this and get it out there ok"

"Ok" Anya replied wandering what her friend had to say.

"Ok. Here it is" She took a deep breath. Then finally said "I think Baird, likes me"

Now Anya wasn't expecting that at all.

"What do you mean. Like, likes you likes you?"

"Yeah"

Anya was surprised to say the least. I mean, Baird had been a lot more pleasant to Sam lately but she didn't think that he felt that way about her.

"How do you know Sam?"

"Well. It all started this morning" Sam started. She told Anya the whole story of what Baird had said to her.

"Well. What do you think he meant?" Sam asked.

"Well, if he was jealous about your feelings for Dom, he must have feelings for you. Or feelings for Dom" Anya said with a chuckle afterwards. But then saying the name just reminded her that he was no longer with them.

"Well, that's what I thought."

"Well. What happened next Sam" Anya said, eagerly awaiting the end of the story.

"Well, he told me to forget what he said. That it doesn't matter now and it's for the best"

Anya just sat there taking in everything Sam had said. She finally said

"Wow. Well, what do you make of that"

"I know. I just don't know where to go from here"

"Well. That depends Sam"

"On what?"

"Well. How do you feel?"

"About Baird?"

"Yeah"

"I really don't know Anya. I just don't know. I have all these confusing feelings in my head and I can't make sense of them. Why is it so complicated? Is this how you felt with Marcus.

Anya thought for a moment about that then replied "No. It felt right with him. Right from the beginning I knew he was the one"

"I wish it was that simple" Sam said.

"It's ok Sam. It's not always that simple. I guess I'm just lucky that's all. Look, you obviously feel something. Otherwise you wouldn't be so confused about it"

Sam sighed. She knew that her friend was right. If she felt nothing at all, it would be so much easier. She could let him down gently and they could both move on. But she did feel something, and it scared her.

"I'm sure you will figure it out Sam. Just remember, it's always better to listen to your heart, than your head"

As much of a cliché that was, Sam knew her friend was right. She got up to leave.

"Thanks Anya. For listening"

"That's ok. Any time Sam"

She saw Sam out. Realising it was now 0930, she decided it was about time that she got up and started the day. For a start, she would find out where Marcus had got to.

Sam decided to go back to her room. She really didn't feel like speaking to anyone else, and she certainly didn't want to run into Baird. _"Baird" _Just thinking about him brought back what he said, and the look in his eyes when he said it. Sam knew that the reason that she was so confused was because she was in denial about her feelings. _"But why am I denying it. If I like him and he likes me, what's the problem?" _She knew exactly what the problem was. She was scared. Afraid of getting close to someone and losing them. It hurt so much when she lost Dom and she didn't even get that close to him, she didn't have the chance. It would hurt so much more, if she got close to Baird, and then lost him somehow. That, was why she found it hard to admit her feelings.

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**More to come soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

** 2 Weeks later**

Sam had done her best to avoid Baird over the last two weeks. She hadn't spoken to him since their conversation on the beach. She decided that it was best to try and forget everything he said to her. Instead, she decided to distance herself form him.

"_That's what I should have done with Dom. Then maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much when I lost him" _That's exactly how she felt about Baird right now, and keeping her distance from him made sense to her. She was afraid if she didn't keep her distance, she might end up feeling something she didn't want to feel.

Baird had noticed that Sam was avoiding him. He was glad that she hadn't asked any further questions about what he'd said to her that morning. But the fact that she'd barely said two words to him unsettled him a bit. He at least wanted them to be friends, but all she was doing now, was only pushing him away. _"What did I do to make her avoid me. Well apart from scare her away by possibly revealing my feelings for her. No wonder she's not talking to me" _

Part of Baird didn't want to get up and face another day today. Mainly because he would have to face Sam at some point and the more she ignored him, the more it hurt. Maybe he could try and get her alone. Maybe he could confront her about the way she'd been acting. _"Oh yeah, and what am I gonna say. Hey Sam, you've been ignoring me and it's really getting to me. How's she gonna react to that?" _As much as he didn't want to, he got himself up and dressed, ready to start the day. The day went exactly the same as everyday had for the last few weeks. He kept himself busy fixing whatever needed fixing around the island. He barely took any breaks and any spare time he did have, he spent looking through all the locust and lambent research that had been left by Adam Fenix. He saw Sam a few times throughout the day, but she seemed to be making every effort she could to avoid him. He worked so hard during the day, by the time he got back to his room he crashed onto the bed and fell asleep for the night. That's pretty much how his day went these days. Anything he could do to keep his mind off Sam. Tonight was different though. As tired as he was, he couldn't seem to get to sleep. All he could think about as he laid there, was Sam. He just wished that he could go back to that day and take back what he'd said to her. Before that, they were getting along just fine, and she wasn't avoiding him. He decided that he couldn't go on like this. He needed to talk to her and he needed to do it soon. He looked at the clock. 2530. "_She may still be up" _He thought. He got up and dressed and made his way to her room. He knew her room number as he walked her back there one night. _"I was being nice to her then, she probably wondered why"_

He didn't see many people around, most people were asleep or out on night patrol. He got to Sam's room and listened outside the door to see if he could hear her moving around. Nothing. She must be asleep. He decided it would be unfair to wake her. He was about to leave when he heard Sam through the door. It sounded like she was talking to someone, but she wasn't making much sense. Then she began shouting, then screaming like she was in trouble. Baird knocked on the door.

"Sam. Sam what's going on, are you ok in there?" he asked. When she didn't respond he knocked again. "Sam, are you ok?" He said louder this time. She still didn't respond and it sounded like she was getting more and more upset. He realised that she much be having some kind of nightmare. He didn't want to just leave her. He tried the door, and by a stroke of luck, she hadn't locked it. He quickly entered the room and closed the door. He walked over to the bed where she was crying and thrashing around in her sleep. He knew that waking someone up from a bad dream was not always a good idea, but he couldn't bare to see her in so much distress. He gently shook her.

"Sam. Sam wake up, you're having a nightmare"

She didn't wake she just kept crying and screaming

"Sam" He said louder shaking her harder. "Wake up. It's ok, you're safe"

He shook her one more time and she bolted up right in the bed, gasping as if she was gasping for air. She looked at him with an expression somewhere between confusion and relief.

"Sam, it's ok, you were having a bad dream"

She surprised him by pulling him close and crying as he instinctively put his arms around her. He sat on the edge of the bed and let her cry into his arms

"It's ok Sam, I'm here. It was only a bad dream"

Sam hadn't even questioned as to what he was doing in her room. She seemed to just be happy that he was here.

"You're here" She said softly between sobs. "You're ok"

"Well, of course I'm ok"

"We were fighting. They were back . ." She began. He realised that she was talking about her dream. He let her carry on.

"We were outnumbered and we were losing everyone. I tried to save them but . . . and then you . . I couldn't save you . . ." she managed to get out before bursting into tears again. Baird pulled her closer.

"Shh. It's ok Sam. It was only a dream. I'm ok, I'm here see."

She looked up at him, and nodded. "Yeah. I see that. It was just so real Baird. You were there, and then I lost you. I don't ever want that to happen"

"Hey, it's ok Sam. That's never gonna happen. You're not gonna lose me. I won't ever let that happen ok?" He said as she looked up at him, her brown eyes full of tears.

"Ok" she said softly. She rested her head against his chest, still sobbing but she had definitely calmed down. He gently rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly. They stayed like this for a while until he asked,

"Are you ok Sam"

"Yes. I think I am now"

"Good" He started to move away but she pulled him back.

"Please, don't go" she pleaded. "Stay here with me for a bit"

Baird was more than happy to oblige.

"Will you stay?" she asked again.

"Of course I will Sam."

"Thank you"

It wasn't long before she fell asleep in his arms. He stayed awake for a while after she had fallen asleep. He didn't know how things were going to be between them in the morning, but right now, he was just happy to be close to her. He thought about how much the dream had upset her._ "She must care for me. Otherwise I still wouldn't be here" _He thought to himself. Eventually his eyelids became heavy and he couldn't stay awake any longer.

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**A shorter chapter but it made sense to end it there.**

**A couple of points, I don't know why Sam would go to bed and leave her door unlocked but it helped with the story so that's why.**

**In case you didn't know, on Sere, the days are 26 hours long. That's why when Baird looked at the clock, it was 2530.**

**More to come soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally updated this. Only a short chapter but I just wanted to out something up.**

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When Sam awoke the next morning, she was surprised to see that Baird was still there. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him fast asleep. _"He must have stayed with me the whole night, that's so sweet of him"_ She soon pushed those thoughts out of her head. Those were exactly the kind of thoughts that she wanted to avoid. She certainly wanted to avoid seeing him when he woke up. It would just be way to awkward. She carefully got out of bed so as not to wake him and made her way to the bathroom to get changed. She was about to leave the room, then realised that would mean locking him in. She thought for a moment, then decided to chance it and leave the door unlocked. She would just have to get the key off him later. _"That will be awkward, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it" _She thought. She took one last look at him, then left the room.

Baird woke up about an hour after Sam had left. For a few moments he forgot where he was, then the events from last night slowly unfolded in his mind. He looked around expecting to see Sam, only to see she wasn't there. He got up and looked around to see if she was in the bathroom, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He thought maybe it was late and she got up and left him to sleep. Looking at his watch, he realised that it was only 0630. _"Why did she leave so early. She certainly wanted to be close to me last night. Maybe she was embarrassed." _He decided that it was better to leave sooner or later. He certainly didn't want anyone to see him leaving Sam's room, they would soon get the wrong idea. He grabbed the key and made his way out. He cautiously opened the door and looked around. Luckily no one was around. He quickly made his exit without anyone seeing him and locked the door. He decided it was best for him tofind Sam and give her the key sooner rather than later. But first, he made his way to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. He didn't expect to see her in there, but there was Sam, sitting alone in the far corner of the room. He knew he had to face her, so he began to make his way over.

Sam's heart skipped a beat when she saw Baird. She was hoping not to see him so soon today, after what happened last night. He soon arrived at her table and put her key down on it.

"I thought you might need this" he said.

"Thanks" was all she said.

"Mind if I join you"

"Sure" She said, even though she really wanted to be alone.

They sat in silence for a while. Sam just continued to sip her coffee.

"You gonna eat something" Sam said finally breaking the silence.

"Na. Not really hungry. You enjoying your coffee?"

"Yeah. It's amazing that we have real coffee these days. I remember when . ."

"Sam" Baird said cutting her off. "Enough with the small talk. Don't you want to talk about last night?"

"What about last night. Nothing happened last night" She replied with a tone of annoyance.

"Well, I wouldn't say that Sam"

"Look, I was half awake and I wasn't thinking. You just happened to be there that's all."

"So, it didn't mean anything to you then" he asked

Sam looked at him. _"Of course it did. You were there for me when I really needed you" _she thought.

"No. It didn't mean anything. Like I said. I wasn't thinking and you were just there"

Baird tried his best not to look hurt, but failed.

"Fine. Then I guess there really is nothing left to talk about" He said as he got up to leave.

"Baird wait"

"What?"

Sam wanted to say so many things that she was afriad to say.

"Um. . You sure you don't want to eat anything"

"Not hungry" he said as he walked away.

Sam watched him disappear out of the room. She knew that she was only pushing him away.

"_But that's for the best right. I'm only protecting myself from getting hurt in the future. There's nothing wrong with that" _she tried to convince her self. But part of her wanted to run after Baird and throw her arms around him, not caring who saw. No. She had to get that thought out of her head for good. _"It's for the best"_

Baird made his way back to his and Cole's room. Cole was up when he got back.

"Hey, was wonderin where you had got to. I didn't see you last night"

"I was working late" he lied.

"All night?"

"Yes Cole all night" he snapped. "Sorry. Just been a long night that's all.

Cole didn't believe that Baird had really been working all night. But he decided to cut his friend some slack as he seemed to be worked up about something.

"It's ok. Just, get some sleep ok?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"I'm gonna go get some food. You coming?"

"Na. I've eaten already" he lied again.

"Ok Baird. I'll see you later. And remember what I said about getting some sleep"

"Yes Mom" Baird replied sarcasticly.

Cole just chuckled slightly as he left the room. Left alone with his thoughts, Baird soon began to think about Sam again. He couldn't forget what she had said this morning. _"It didn't mean anything to her?" _It certainly meant something to him. It felt great being so close to her, and knowing that she wanted to be close to him to. He wished that he had left things better with Sam earlier, but he was a bit hurt by what she said. But maybe she was just being honest. Maybe he did just happen to be there when she needed someone and that was all there was to it. He just wished, that somehow that wasn't true

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**To be continued . . at some point.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally got around to concluding this story. So thanks to anyone who has reviewed followed and favorited it. Enjoy.**

* * *

The rest of Sam's day went by like a blur. Her mind was in a different place entirely. She couldn't get her mind off Baird and the conversation they had this morning. She remembered how he looked when she said that last night didn't mean anything to her. He looked genuinely hurt, even though he tried to hide it. Her mind went back to that morning at the beach when he first revealed his feelings.

He didn't exactly spell it out but Sam knew what he meant. That then reminded her of last night when he was there for her when she really needed him. _"Is that right, I needed him?" _That thought scared her more than anything. She'd been here before, with Dom. But that was more complicated, he didn't feel the same way, or at least he didn't show it anyway. It didn't change the fact that it hurt like hell to lose him. She didn't want to go through that again. She needed to get Baird out of her head for good somehow. "_I have to. I have to do that to protect myself. It's for the best" _she tried to convince herself, but it was no use. As she laid there trying to get to sleep, she actually found herself missing him. She had been in denial about it all day, but having him so close last night was wonderful. She wasn't as 'half awake' as she had made out when she spoke to Baird this morning. She was pretty awake after that nightmare. Losing him in the dream was all too real and seeing him afterwards meant so much to her. _"Why was he even in my room in the first place" _She decided that it didn't matter. He was there when she needed him. _"So why can't I just accept this and tell him how I feel" _That thought kept her awake long into the night.

Baird's day had gone a lot like Sam's. He was finding it hard to concentrate on anything, all he could think about was Sam. He decided to take a walk in a vague attempt to clear his head. He ended up at the beach. He sat down on the sand and looked up at the stars. _"Long time since I've done this" _He thought. Being at war for so long left very little time for anything else. But now there was just too much time to think. He didn't know what was worse. He closed his eyes and tried to get her out of his head but he just couldn't. He suddenly heard a couple of voices that made him jump.

"Baird, is that you"

He didn't need to turn round to know that it was Marcus. He was with Anya

"Yeah. It's me"

"What are you doing out here all alone so late" Anya asked.

"Just . . thinking that's all"

"Are you ok" she asked

"Yeah. Fine. Just needed some alone time"

Marcus and Anya took the hint as they could sense the irritation in his voice.

"Well, you know were here for you if you ever need us" Marcus said.

"Yeah. Thanks"

Marcus and Anya walked off to leave him in peace. Little did Baird know that Anya knew all about what was going on between him and Sam. Marcus knew to as Anya shared most things with him.

"Marcus, Maybe I should tell him about what Sam told me" Anya said making sure she was out of Baird's earshot.

"No Anya. You might make it worse and how do you think that would make Sam feel?"

"I guess your right. I just want them to be happy that's all"

"Give them time Anya. I'm sure pretty soon they will come to their senses"

"I hope you're right Marcus. I hope your right"

Baird stayed there for a while just thinking. _"There must be something I can do to show Sam what she means to me." _He knew he had to think of something. He wasn't really one for romantic gestures, that had never been his style. But then he'd never met a girl like Sam before. He couldn't help think about last night. He hadn't seen that side of Sam before, and it only made him like her even more. He hadn't shown that side of him self before either. He didn't even know he really had that side to him. Sam certainly seemed to bring out the best in him. _"But it's no use. She obviously isn't interested in me otherwise she would have said right?" _Baird decided that he needed to know how she felt. He has to get the truth out of her somehow. _"I'll speak to her tomorrow" _He stayed there to rehearse in his head what the hell he was going to say to her.

It was no use Sam just couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard she tried. So she got up and put on a pair of jeans a top and grabbed her jacket in case it was chilly. She made her way down to the beach as it was quiet and a good place to think. Just as she thought there was no one down there except for a few Gears on night patrol. They recognised her and didn't question what she was doing down there. She made her way down to the sand. She saw a figure sitting on the beach as well. She wasn't expecting company. As she got a bit closer she saw the refection of the moonlight in a pair of goggles.

"_Great. The one person that I didn't want to see" _After all he was the whole reason that she couldn't sleep. Baird soon saw her. He knew he needed to speak to her now as she was here. He walked over to her.

"Sam" he called in case she hadn't seen him. He didn't want to startle her. As he approached her she tried to act as casual as possible.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Um. I couldn't sleep"

"Sorry to hear that Sam. Look. I think we need to talk"

"There's nothing to talk about Baird. I told you that this morning"

"God dammit Sam, why won't you let me in"

"What?"

"For the past two weeks all you've done is shut me out. And then last night. . "

"Can we just forget about last night"

"I don't know Sam can we. I can't"

"What do you want from me Baird, just tell me that"

"Well, after what I told you on the beach . ."

"You didn't really tell me anything. You just implied something and then told me to forget about it like it didn't matter. Then you spent two weeks avoiding me"

"Well, you avoided me to Sam. And I tried to talk to you this morning and you just shot me down"

"I know. I was still confused about, last night"

"In what way confused?"

"As confused as I was on the beach that day. You didn't exactly make your feelings clear"

"Look, I've never been good at expressing how I feel. Just ask Cole, he knows"

"Well. Why don't you tell me now. Properly this time" Sam asked.

"Because, I don't think I know how Sam. I don't know how to tell you how I feel. How to tell you that I can't stop thinking about you and how you're the most beautiful amazing woman I have ever met and that last night meant the world to me"

Sam was shocked but touched by his words. She was left a bit speechless. Finally she said,

"Well Baird. It sounds like you do know how"

He realised that was it. He said it, he told her how he truly felt. Question is how did she feel. He knew he had to ask. Otherwise he may regret it for the rest of his life.

"So, the question is Sam. How do you feel. Do you think there is a chance for us?" He asked hopefully.

Sam thought hard about her answer, then finally said "No"

Hearing that was like being punched in the gut.

"No?"

"I'm sorry Baird. But it's just not going to work"

Baird felt angry and hurt.

"Well. That clears that up I guess. Just tell me one thing though Sam. Why?

"I, I don't know"

Baird could tell she was lying.

"Cmon Sam" He said sounding a little more angry now. "I at least deserve to know why so tell me. Please"

Sam didn't answer and they looked at each other for what seemed like and eternity.

Baird finally spoke "It's because your still hung up on Dom, isn't it"

"No it's not that I just . . ."

"It's ok if you are Sam. I understand. Dom was a much better man than me and you could never look at me the way you looked at him"

"No Baird. It's not about Dom. Well it kind of is but . . . "

"I know it is Sam. It's ok like I said I understand."

"No you don't Baird. You don't understand at all." Now Sam was getting angry. "I care about you more than you could ever know Baird. I care about you so much that the thought of losing you is more than I can bear. I cared about Dom to and I can't go through that again I just can't" She said a lot louder than she realised. She looked down to avoid looking him in the eye.

Baird didn't know what to say now. He moved closer to her and gently lifted her chin up to look at him. She looked away.

"Sam. Look at me. Please"

She turned to face him.

"Sam. You're not going to lose me ok. I promise"

"But how do I know that"

Baird sighed. "You don't Sam. You don't know that. But is this worth throwing this away just because of that? I don't think it is Sam"

Sam looked up into his eyes, hers were now full of tears. She tried to blink them away only causing one to roll down her cheek. Baird gently wiped it away and she looked up at him again. The time for words had gone as they looked into one another eyes. He took off his goggles and rested his forehead against hers as she let a few more tears escape. He then put his arms around her pulling her closer and she soon did the same. They stayed this way for a moment or two. He touched her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes and did the same. After the kiss they looked into each others eyes again. They were almost afraid to say anything that may spoil the moment. But Baird knew in his heart exactly what he wanted to say so he just said it.

"I love you Sam and I promise that I will never leave you"

The words took her breath away and suddenly, she wasn't afraid any more. She didn't even try to stop the tears this time. She knew now that this was how it was supposed to be, and it just felt right.

"I love you to Damon"

He smiled, an actual smile that Sam had never seen before. Then he pulled her into a close embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes both of them filled with a happiness that neither of them had ever felt before. When they finally pulled apart, Baird said,

"So, does this mean your like, my girlfriend now"

"Yeah. I guess it does mean that"

"Awesome"

She looked at him for a while.

"What" he asked.

"Just thinking how handsome you look, especially without those goggles on. You should take them off more often"

With that, he reached up to her hair taking her head band off letting her hair fall to perfectly frame her face.

"I guess you going to tell me I look better this way"

"No. You always look beautiful Samantha"

She loved how he used her full name. She pulled him in for another kiss and he gladly obliged.

"Cmon. It's late. We should really get to bed" Baird said.

"Yeah. We really should"

"I guess this will be the second night we have spent together"

"I guess it will be. But I think this one will be a lot more interesting" She said with a playful smirk on her face"

"Now that, I like the sound of" he replied as the two began to walk hand in hand making their way back to her room.

* * *

**And that's it folks. Don't you just love mushy endings. I do.**


End file.
